For a moment there, I sweared I could hear my brain cells popping trying to think of a response to that unexpected suggestion, as to try not to take this conversation any further.

“You mean the battery operated kind? Like Aibo?” I muttered, hoping for an affirmation.

“No! I mean a real dog,” she replied. “Having a dog in our lives would be great.”

“But, but do you think we can handle a dog in the house? Having a dog requires time and commitment!” I protested.

“I always wanted a sharpei, and there’s an ad on the paper today,” she pleaded determinedly.

After due deliberation, we agreed to go and have a look but reminded ourselves not to be hasty in any decision. So off we went to check out the puppy in the advertisement.

We arrived at a house in a residential neighborhood in Klang. As we entered the house, a stocky man with body tattoo came to greet us and led us to the kitchen at the back to view the puppies. The house was filled with other puppies as well, bulldogs, poodles, pugs and even a pair of fila brasileiros. We saw two sharpei pups inside small cages lined with soggy newspapers, one was apricot and the other a fawn red, both males from the same litter. The sharpei puppies were still at their infancy, about one month old, and they looked very fragile and weak.

“Only the white color one is for sale,” said the man pointing to the feeble pup inside the cage. Cheche and I looked at each other, pondering what should we do next as we were more worried for the well being of the puppies in such condition than anything else. Without much hesitation, I told the man, “We’ll take the puppy.”

He advised us to allow the puppy to stay a further two days before bringing him home due to his weak condition. We nodded in agreement and left the place after paying a deposit. But as fate would have it, the little apricot sharpei puppy and us were not meant to be. We received a call the following day informing us that the puppy did not make it through the night. And so was the brother.

Two weeks later, we received a call from the man again. This time round, he told us he would be going to Indonesia and a friend of his has sharpei puppies for sale. He asked whether we were still interested. As the sad event of past weeks was still fresh in our memory, we told him only if the puppy were old enough to travel, then we would consider. He gave us the assurance.

With that, hero came to us on 4th December 2006 at three months old. Little did we know what to expect then. I was hoping for an instruction manual that came with him. Seriously.

“As a family, we do things together... and hero is a member of the family,” said cheche. “A dog does not care how much money you have or who you are. All they care is how you spend time with them,” she continued. As young urban professionals, spending time means a trip to the local shopping malls, dining at chic restaurants or a cup of coffee at swanky cafes. We couldn't have possibly brought hero with us for most of our outings.

And for this very reason, there was a time we asked ourselves whether getting hero was a right decision. Those endless non-stop vacuuming in the house which drove cheche crazy at times. Those long extended couple getaways we used to escape to every now and then seemed to be a distant memory and not to mention the numerous occasions we were refused entry to our favorite places because we have a dog with us now.

But when we looked at his wrinkly face and how he never fails to put a smile on our faces with his silly antics and goofiness, any doubt about our decision was clearly misplaced. With hero around, he really does brighten up our days. Bliss is the wagging tail of a dog welcoming you home each and every day. Bliss is the licking tongue of a dog waking you up each and every morning.

We always try to give hero a happy life as we possibly can. So we made efforts to spend time with hero by bringing him for short excursions out of the city. However, little did we realize that what were supposed to be mundane trips for hero turned out to be such exhilarating experiences for ourselves as well. Through such outings, we swam with the fish in the open sea, we had the opportunity to watch baby turtles hatching by the shore, we came face to face with monitor lizard in the jungle, we encountered dangerous snakes in the mangrove swamp and lots more exciting adventures.

“I hope he will bring you much joy,” said the heavily tattooed man as he handed over a fidgeting puppy to cheche on a sunny morning five years ago. And when we looked back, not only did hero bring us joy, but he also showed us the meaning of unconditional love and taught us about unbridled loyalty. It was inspiring to observe how hero always found joy over simple things in life, often reminding us of the child we once were... where we just laugh and play, and worries were so far away. Most of all, hero pushed us beyond our comfort zone to uncharted adventures... and in the process of doing so, sprinkled our lives with endless drops of happiness.

Because of hero, we watched the prettiest sunrise and discovered the most beautiful of beaches. Because of hero, we crossed the deepest rivers and trekked the most difficult of trails. Because of hero, we drove the longest miles and traveled the most winding of roads. Because of hero, we climbed the highest mountains and saw the most colorful of rainbows.

And it is because of him... we have the happiest of memories.

Happy Birthday furry one! It has been a truly wonderful journey and thank you for leaving such endearing pawprints on our lives.

Hero, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hi! My name is hero and I was born on September 6, 2006. I'm a curiously busybody red brushcoat sharpei that sniffs on everything and anything. I have a penchant for cat-chasing and rodent hunting. There is one thing I absolutely hate... bathing. This is my little space chronicling in frames those precious moments with cheche and koko whilst leaving my pawprints in this world... read more.

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10 Commandments

My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Regular separation from you will be painful and can even cause depression. Think before you buy me.

Give me time to understand what you want from me don't be impatient, short-tempered or irritable.

Place your trust in me and I will always trust you back, respect is earned not given as some sort of inalienable right.

Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. I am not capable of understanding why I am being locked up. I only know I have been rejected. You have your work, entertainment and friends. I only have you.

Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your tone. "You only have to look at my tail" to know that.

Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget, if that treatment is unjust or bad, it may spoil the special bond between us.

Please do not hit me. I cannot hit back, but I can bite and scratch and I don't ever want to feel the need to do that.

Before you tell me off me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be wrong with me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food or I've been out in the sun too long, maybe my heart is getting old and weak, or maybe I'm just dog-tired.

Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old and will also want care, love, and affection.

Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch" or "Let it happen in my absence". Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, irrespective of what you do I will always love you.